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Crisis Response Centre

The Duty Officers at the Crisis Response Centre ensure the Federal Foreign Office can be reached 24 hours a day and keep the Minister and top officials informed of current developments. Under tel. +49-30-1817-0 the Centre can be contacted also in the event of emergencies abroad occurring outside normal office hours.

Other important aspects of the Centre's work are providing early warning of crises as well as crisis prevention and management. It monitors developments that may escalate into crises and if necessary convenes a crisis task force, for whose organization and procedures it is likewise responsible. It is also responsible for coordinating cooperation with other ministries and international partners. In addition to responding to ongoing crises, the Centre is now focusing increasingly on crisis prevention work. In order to be equipped to identify as early as possible situations that may develop into full-blown crises, the Centre prepares, in conjunction with other ministries, detailed studies analyzing potential crisis situations. It sends experts to the German missions abroad to implement precautionary measures and advise the missions and other German institutions (Goethe-Institut branches, bilateral chambers of commerce, German schools) on what action to take in the event of a crisis.

There is also a Citizens Services Unit attached to the Centre. Its currently eight officials answer more detailed inquiries on consular matters and provide country-specific and other information.